Finding the best hammock straps can be a daunting task, especially the first time around. What do you need to think about when picking your hammock straps? Which qualities are important?
In this article, you’ll learn all you need to know before buying, and I’ll point you to some of the best choices available.
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Best Hammock Straps: Things You Need to Consider
Hammock tree straps are an essential part of your hammock rig. You want them to be safe and sturdy, fairly easy to use and you don’t want them to damage the trees you hang them on.
If you are just learning about the best hammock straps, make sure you read Hammock Straps: Everything You Need to Know About Hammock Tree Straps to get you up to scratch on what you need to know about these nifty outdoor fabric hangers.
The importance of a good pair of hammock straps
As I’m sure you can imagine, you don’t want to be rummaging around in the darkness of night, still trying to figure out how to hang your straps. Or even worse, having the straps break on you and falling to the ground in your sleep.
That would be like a nightmare. But instead of waking up from the nightmare, reality would be the nightmare. And a sore back.
You should therefore make sure that you are within the weight limits of the straps you buy.
Ultralight vs. all-round type of hammock straps
Also, for backpacking, you could probably stand to shave some length off in favor of less pack weight. Everything adds up!
If you are unsure of how long of a hammock strap you need, it’s usually better to buy it a bit longer. Then you can test and try it out, cut it if needed, and burn the edge to avoid any loose string (especially a cinch buckle strap).
In regards to width, some areas actually have their own regulations concerning hammock camping. Amongst those, you’ll often find some requirements for the type of suspension, or straps, that you use.
In other words, where you will be using your new straps will impact which ones you buy.
The Best Types of Hammock Straps
If you just want to get going with the easiest solution possible, and not dig any further into the universe of hammock straps – my recommendation is that you buy a daisy chain looped hammock strap. They are easy to set up for beginners, and you can’t really go wrong with a solid pair of daisy chain hammock straps.
There are 3 popular suspension systems that I will be covering in this article.
- Daisy Chain Straps
- Whoopie Sling suspensions
- Buckle Suspensions
Cost of Different Straps Available
The prices of my recommended best hammock straps in this article vary from 20 USD to 40 USD.
Although I’m sure you can find a pair of cheap hammock straps for even less, I’d be careful to place my trust in some unknown vendor for hammock straps. They are, after all, floating you above ground while you sleep.
Let’s start off with the Daisy Chain Straps.
Daisy Chain Straps – Easy, Adjustable, and Strong
The daisy chain straps are the perfect straps for a beginner hammock camper. They are user-friendly and intuitive to use right from the start.
When I started out hammock camping, I did all kinds of research. I was baffled by the amount of information, gear, and setup guides for a hammock. Was it really this hard?
It was a lot to think about, and it made me think twice about getting into hammock camping. I delayed the whole thing several times. In the end, after deciding to go for it, I ended up with a pair of daisy chain straps.
Yet again, I was baffled.
After all that, setting up the straps was so easy. I felt stupid. Why did everyone complicate it so much, when it could be this easy all this time?
You simply loop it around a tree and attach your hammock to one of several loops with a carabiner. Easy peasy.
So if you want the easiest option, with the least amount of headache, you can just jump right into picking your daisy chain straps.
Summarized – daisy chain strap suspension
- The hammock newbie’s choice
- Beginner friendly
- Can be on the heavier side
- Robust, higher weight capacity
- Not the most “packable” solution
- You are locked to your loop intervals, with no in-between options
The Best Daisy Chain Hammock Straps: Our picks
Kammok Python 10 Hammock Straps are a solid pick for your first pair of hammock straps. Or every pick after that, even. They are lighter than the popular ENO Atlas Hammock straps, have a higher weight capacity, and more adjustment loops to attach to your hammock.
The Kammok Python also packs down smaller than its popular competitor, the ENO Atlas. A nice bonus for the casual camper, and an essential feature for some.
ENO Atlas Hammock Suspension System is a popular pair of straps, chosen and favored by many. While the Kammock Python is better in almost all comparable aspects, the ENO Atlas will probably work just fine for your hammock camping needs. If you can find it at a better price than the Kammok Python, it’s not much of a lesser choice.
Whoopie Sling Suspensions – Lightweight and Compact
If you are an ultralight hiker or backpacker, then the whoopie sling suspension could be a good choice for you.
These can be a bit harder to set up than daisy chain straps, but can really help you shave some of that weight in your backpack. If you go for something like the ENO Helios Hammock Suspension System, it’s as easy as a daisy chain setup.
A whoopie sling can pack down very small, and take up little space in your backpack. It’s a great add-on to your hammock gear if you are an experienced hammock camper. If you know right from the get-go that you need to pack lightweight or ultralight, then you should probably opt for the whoopie sling suspension.
Note that this type of suspension usually has a bit less weight capacity than its alternatives.
The Best Whoopie Sling Hammock Straps: Our picks
Hummingbird Hammocks Tree Straps come in at a really impressive weight which the ultralighters will just love. With 1.55 ounces (44 grams) worth of straps in your backpack, these won’t weigh you down at all.
A couple of possible drawbacks for these are the price and the fact that they are 1-inch wide webbing. That should be wide enough for most use cases, but can be a problem if you plan to camp in areas with regulations on strap width. If lightweight is your criteria and you can afford the price, then go for these.
Eno Helios Ultralight Hammock Suspension System is another great pair of whoopie sling straps. At 4.3 ounces or 121 grams, and a weight capacity of 300 pounds or 136 kg, you get a small, lightweight package that can carry a lot.
Buckle Suspensions – Precise Adjustments
Easy to adjust, and sets up fast when you know how to use them.
The buckle suspension is more of an alternative preference type of thing. One of the advantages of the cinch buckle is precise adjustments. While a daisy chain will limit you to certain levels of adjustment, you can freely adjust the cinch buckle to wherever you want.
They can be a bit more of a hassle to loosen. Since there are more parts to a cinch buckle setup, I’d say there is a bit more risk of a beginner making a mess of it, than with a daisy chain.
The Best Cinch Buckle Hammock Straps: Our picks
The Titan Cinch Buckle Complete Suspension set from Dutchware is a full kit containing a titanium cinch buckle, tree straps, dutch clips, and an 8” continuous loop attached to the buckles.
If you want to go with a buckle suspension solution, this kit will set you up right away, with a high-quality product from a solid store.
Bonus: Our Pick For The Best 2-inch Width Hammock Straps
Again, relying on Dutchware for some quality products, the 2” Polypropylene Huggers are a good choice for those of you that need 2-inch wide straps due to regulations, or just straight up want some more strength.
Now get those straps ordered, and start hangin’ out!
Simon, the founder of HappyHammockCamper, is a passionate hammock camping enthusiast who discovered the joys of this unique camping style a few years ago. Through HappyHammockCamper, he shares his knowledge and experience in hammock camping, gear and camping tips.
